Kellan
I patrolled the streetsof Isla, making sure a soldier was posted at every street corner and alley alike. No one entered or exited the city without my knowing, and that was by the gates or the sea.
I had been rounding up guards to post scouts throughout Velyra. We had no idea where Elianna was or what her plans were, but it was safe to assume she wouldn’t have stayed in the old city of Silcrowe. And with my lies tethered to me under the queen’s grasp, I couldn’t let her know I knew of it. Everything had to be handled with caution to ensure my web of lies didn’t unravel beneath me.
The only thing we truly knew was that the bitch couldn’t hide forever. Whether we had to coax her out once more or meticulously scour every corner of the realm, wewouldfind her and slaughter her little band of rebels.
“Adler,” Braynon called to me as I was stalking toward the seaport.
I pivoted on my heel, not bothering to fix the annoyance on my face. “Braynon, always a pleasure. How can I assist?”
I wanted nothing more than to wipe this lingering weasel off the face of the continent.
“There has been an arrival at the gates,” he announced. “No one gets in or out of the city without being vetted by you, Captain.” His words had a lingering bite to them, as if he couldn’t bear the thought that I was accepted by the queen upon my return.
“Well, who is it?” I barked.
“I’m not sure if I would be able to answer that.” He frowned. “It would be best if you follow me.” He turned to walk back toward the gates on the opposite side of the city.
After following him through the streets, watching as all the passers avoided eye contact with me, we finally reached the front of the city.
The guards inclined their heads at me as they lifted the gate, allowing me to storm between the two towers.
Two figures hidden within the shadows of their hooded cloaks now stood before me. “Who are you, and why have you come to Isla?” I demanded.
Their gazes lifted to my own, and my eyes flared at what I saw—two pairs of red gazes gleaming at me.
I took a hesitant step toward them as my hand instinctively flew to the hilt of my sword. “I will ask you once more, who are you, and wh—”
One of them lifted her hood and gently placed it to rest on her shoulders, but it wasn’t her long onyx hair or sharpened talons that made me feel threatened, but the remaining crimson stare that was locked on me.
“You are the captain, I presume?” she asked, her voice echoing in an otherworldly essence.
“Aye,” I offered.
“We have come to speak to your queen.”
My eyes quickly darted to the one who had yet to reveal themself. “We are under strict orders to not allow anyone into the city, and I’m afraid that a meeting with the queen would be out of the question, even for a citizen. Never mind someone who is an…” I looked her up and down. “Outsider.”
The second figure removed its hood to reveal a crone beneath it, her appearance vastly different from the other who stood before me, yet she shared the same eerie stare.
“You refuse refuge to two lonely females?” she taunted.
I smirked at her. “It isn’t refuge you seek. You demand the queen as an audience for something.” Ignoring the hairs that stood up in alarm on the back of my neck, I leaned down toward her. “Now, I must politely ask you to leave the city of Isla, or you will face the wrath of the noose for trespassing.”
A sinister grin tilted her lips while her eyes began to glow, and as I quickly moved to unsheathe my sword, my body froze.
What the fuck?!
Suddenly, it felt as if lethal claws were dragging themselves through my skull. And, no matter how hard I strained, my limbs remained immobile, as if they were made of stone.
Sorcery.
“What is the meaning of this?” I attempted to say through my teeth.
“I told you, Captain,” she started. “We wish to speak to your queen. And we needyouto ensure that is possible.”
Before I could process a word the witch spoke, my vision became a hazy blur. Talons scraped down my mind, and then my feet marched without my permission. All control of my body vanished, and I unwillingly led them back through the gates, past the guards that stood watch, and up to the castle where the queen awaited.
